Start with a budget of almost zero and you find yourself in a position where you need a great plot developed with great writing, great acting, and witty dialog to squeeze past the lack of dollars.
Despair seems to have plot holes you could use to parallel park a semi with two trailers in. We have mental health and financial problems put forth as the motivation for the couple's actions-- but there is not enough depth or detail to make this even somewhat plausible. Perhaps the title was intended to give us a feeling of the depths of the problem, but "Despair" comes in degrees, and nothing was developed to show why they reacted to their problems in such a manner. A much greater explanation as to mental health, finances, et cetera, is needed to demonstrate this level of despair. Absent the pressure of a loan shark threatening obscene levels of violence against extended family bankruptcy would handle the problem; absent more background on mental health and medications the reaction simply seems too forced. Too many holes in the plot, too little development. Most of the action appears to take place at random, not as a logical development of actions or circumstances shown.
Great acting? It is hard to tell, but the acting seemed to stretch as far as the writing would take it. Baranowski and Morgan did as well as could be expected, at least, and it should serve to showcase their talent.
Witty dialog is the savior of the super low budget flick. It costs little, it does not have to be rented, doesn't have a turn in time, and usually works as well in shabby surroundings as in the midst of opulence. Despair chose to dispose of dialog.
Okay, I bought it. I try to support indie work, particularly the fringe areas of indie production. I admit I really do not understand this flick, and since I believe that "if it has to be explained it was not well developed" I have to leave it up to other viewers to tell me if it is simply beyond me or if it would have benefited from greater development. It does have non erotic nudity, not very gory gore, and a soundtrack that makes you scratch your head.
Buy a copy and see for yourself, then make your own judgments. I feel it was worth the small cost, even if "I don't really get it."
